Moto Z2 Play Review - Do we really need Mods

**Moto Z2 Play Review: A Modular Smartphone That Stands Out**

In the ever-evolving world of smartphones, Motorola has consistently stood out with its innovative approach to modular design. What if smartphone parts could be assembled like Lego blocks? That's the essence behind modular smartphones, a concept that became reality with the Moto Z series. While competitors have moved away from modular designs, Motorola remains committed to this vision, even after three years of development.

The latest offering in this line is the **Moto Z2 Play**, which we recently reviewed. This smartphone is unlike any other due to its modular design, allowing users to customize their phone with various "mods" that snap onto the back. These mods add functionality like wireless charging, a projector, a boombox, and even a gamepad.

### The Basics: Modular Design and Customization

At the heart of the Moto Z2 Play is its magnetic contact points on the back, which enable mods to attach seamlessly. This feature allows users to enhance their phone's capabilities with additional features. For instance, you can add a style shell made from materials like fabric, wood, or leather, giving your phone a unique look. Some shells even come with funky designs and wireless charging functionality.

One of the standout mods is the **Incipio battery pack**, which doubles the phone's battery life. Another mod includes a built-in boombox, offering a fun and practical way to enjoy music on-the-go. Motorola has also introduced new mods for 2017, such as an Android-based car system and a snap-on gamepad. However, these mods come at a cost, ranging from $20 to $300, which raises the question: is it worth investing in mods or opting for a more expensive smartphone that offers similar features built-in?

### Design and Build Quality

The Moto Z2 Play impresses with its solid build and sleek design. While it has a large camera bump, the overall aesthetic is pleasing, especially when seen in person. The phone采用金属材质后壳，比去年的玻璃背板更加耐用且不易留下指纹。其他设计亮点包括圆形home键、双 SIM 卡插槽（支持nano SIM和micro SD卡）、前置扬声器以及防泼溅纳米涂层。

### Hardware and Performance

As a mid-range smartphone, the Moto Z2 Play packs decent specs. It features a Snapdragon 660 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage (expandable via micro SD). The phone performs well, handling games smoothly even on high settings. Its battery life is impressive, lasting about one and a half days with regular use. With the addition of a day battery mod, it can last up to two full days.

The phone also charges quickly, reaching 60% in just 30 minutes with the bundled charger, making it ideal for quick top-ups.

### Camera Performance

While the Moto Z2 Play excels in other areas, its camera leaves room for improvement. The photos taken are decent with proper composition and a steady hand, especially during daylight. However, in low-light conditions, the results can be hit or miss. Selfie fans will appreciate the phone's natural-looking selfies, as it wonned last year's group selfie category.

### Software Experience

The Moto Z2 Play runs on near-stock Android, offering a clean and intuitive user experience. Customizations like One Button Nav replace traditional on-screen buttons with gesture controls, allowing users to swipe left for back navigation, swipe right for multitasking, and tap the home button to return to the main screen.

### Value Proposition

For its price point, the Moto Z2 Play is an excellent choice for those who prioritize customization and battery life. While standalone accessories may offer better value in some cases (e.g., JBL Bluetooth speakers), the Incipio battery pack is a must-have for anyone struggling with cable-free charging solutions.

### Final Verdict

The Moto Z2 Play shines as a customizable, mid-range smartphone with impressive battery life and modular design. Its weaknesses, such as the camera performance, don't overshadow its strengths. If you value a phone that can be tailored to your needs through mods, the Moto Z2 Play is worth considering.

### Availability

In the U.S., the Moto Z2 Play is available for $400 on Verizon with a bundled JBL SoundBoost speaker. The unlocked version will retail for $100 more. Prices across Asia vary, so check local availability for details.

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"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enif smartphone parts could be assembled like Lego blocks then it would be much easier to build the perfect smartphone that's the idea behind modular smartphone which first became a reality last year with this competitor is dropping their modular design efforts and shifting their focus elsewhere Motorola is sticking to its gun and its three-year promise to keep the modular smartphone alive this is their latest modular smartphone hi I'm Michael Josh from Bangkok Thailand you're watching gadget Matt and this is our moto Z to play review because it is modular the Moto Z to play is a phone unlike any other here are the basics on its back there's a camera and these contact points together they allow for mods to magnetically latch onto your phone giving it new features that's a very basic level this is a style shell so you can customize how your phone looks with a variety of material fabric wood or leather newer ones from the 2017 line come with funky art and gives your phone wireless charging functionality also snap on this mod to get twice or battery life this one has a built-in boombox a hassle blood camera and projector motorola has some new ones planned this year including one that gives you your own Android based car system and this one a snap-on gamepad of course each of these mods comes at a cost anywhere between twenty to three hundred dollars which begs the question or questions am I better off buying these mods or should I get a more expensive phone that can do it all personally I think some mods provide functionality you can't get from a top-of-the-line smartphone take for example the incipio projector while a big battery hog has its practical uses as well flagship phones like the iPhone 7 plus and the galaxy s 8 don't have these features built-in if you find value in these additional features and mods make the phone worth considering crucial to the success of this system is Motorola's commitment to keep modular smartphones alive for at least three years meaning if you bought last year's mods they'll work on this year's model and vice versa some have also asked our mods worth it or should I look into standalone accessories that the rest of my devices can share yes and no when it comes to the JBL speakers the stand-alone bluetooth speaker may prove to be more value for money but there are things like the incipio battery pack that appeal to me there's nothing more clumsy than carrying around a phone connected to a power bank with a long cable dangling out story of my life having one or two of these in your backpack is a godsend and ensure that you'll never run out of power even on the most demanding of weekends we started off this review talking about mods but how does a moto z2 play fair based solely on its merit as a smartphone let's start with design the phone feels solid and thinner than most apart from its huge camera bump and exposed contact points it's pretty good looking maybe more so in person than on video we like how motorola went with metal instead of last year's glass backe makes the phone tougher and more smudge proof other refinements worth mentioning a more aesthetically pleasing circular home button a hybrid SIM card tray with two slots for nano SIM cards on one side and a micro SD card on the other front-facing speakers built into the earpiece and a special nano coating that sends any waterproofing provides added protection against the rain and spills while only a mid-range smartphone the Moto Z to play comes with pretty decent specs headlined by a Snapdragon 66 processor our unit has 4 gigabytes of memory and 64 gigabytes of storage hello that may depend on where you are in the world by all accounts the phone performed great games played fine even on high settings and battery life was impressive giving us about one and a half days of heavy use without an additional battery pack a day battery mod and usage goes up to two full days and then the phone charges fast too using the bundled charger we got to 60% charge in 30 minutes perfect when you only have enough time for a quick top up our only complaint is as Ichi plays camera which produced only so-so results that's not to say the photos were not good with proper composition and a steady hand we were able to manage some nice ones in and around Bangkok both during the day and at night but for a phone in its price point you can get better take a look at this quick photo shoot out vs. be one plus five its selfie camera on the other hand is pretty good in our ultimate smartphone showdown last year's Moto Z actually won the group selfie category and the z-cube play continues this tradition with natural-looking selfies the software experience on the Z to play against a section all on its own it's got the best of both worlds and almost close to stock Android experience with a few worthy customization for example one button nav replaces on-screen home back and multitasking buttons with gesture based controls swipe left to go back sweat right for multitasking at once for home tap longer to turn off the display so is the Moto Z to play your gadget match overall for its price point the Moto Z to play is a great choice for those who want a thin customisable phone motorola sees mods as the feature and if you agree then this is the phone for you if you're looking for a phone with a battery that lasts all day and then some then this is the closest you can get to that dream and for this reason it deserves the gadget match seal of approval it has its weaknesses particularly its lackluster camera is amazing photos are important to you and locales where if you're in the u.s. Verizon is offering the Z to play for only four hundred US dollars with a bundled JBL sound boost until supplies last the unlocked version will eventually go on sale for $100 more and here's what the phone goes for across Asia and that was our moto Z to play Ruby for more videos like this one make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel like our Facebook page follow gadget match on social media and make gadget match calm your daily habit until the next one I'm Michael josh thanks for dropping byif smartphone parts could be assembled like Lego blocks then it would be much easier to build the perfect smartphone that's the idea behind modular smartphone which first became a reality last year with this competitor is dropping their modular design efforts and shifting their focus elsewhere Motorola is sticking to its gun and its three-year promise to keep the modular smartphone alive this is their latest modular smartphone hi I'm Michael Josh from Bangkok Thailand you're watching gadget Matt and this is our moto Z to play review because it is modular the Moto Z to play is a phone unlike any other here are the basics on its back there's a camera and these contact points together they allow for mods to magnetically latch onto your phone giving it new features that's a very basic level this is a style shell so you can customize how your phone looks with a variety of material fabric wood or leather newer ones from the 2017 line come with funky art and gives your phone wireless charging functionality also snap on this mod to get twice or battery life this one has a built-in boombox a hassle blood camera and projector motorola has some new ones planned this year including one that gives you your own Android based car system and this one a snap-on gamepad of course each of these mods comes at a cost anywhere between twenty to three hundred dollars which begs the question or questions am I better off buying these mods or should I get a more expensive phone that can do it all personally I think some mods provide functionality you can't get from a top-of-the-line smartphone take for example the incipio projector while a big battery hog has its practical uses as well flagship phones like the iPhone 7 plus and the galaxy s 8 don't have these features built-in if you find value in these additional features and mods make the phone worth considering crucial to the success of this system is Motorola's commitment to keep modular smartphones alive for at least three years meaning if you bought last year's mods they'll work on this year's model and vice versa some have also asked our mods worth it or should I look into standalone accessories that the rest of my devices can share yes and no when it comes to the JBL speakers the stand-alone bluetooth speaker may prove to be more value for money but there are things like the incipio battery pack that appeal to me there's nothing more clumsy than carrying around a phone connected to a power bank with a long cable dangling out story of my life having one or two of these in your backpack is a godsend and ensure that you'll never run out of power even on the most demanding of weekends we started off this review talking about mods but how does a moto z2 play fair based solely on its merit as a smartphone let's start with design the phone feels solid and thinner than most apart from its huge camera bump and exposed contact points it's pretty good looking maybe more so in person than on video we like how motorola went with metal instead of last year's glass backe makes the phone tougher and more smudge proof other refinements worth mentioning a more aesthetically pleasing circular home button a hybrid SIM card tray with two slots for nano SIM cards on one side and a micro SD card on the other front-facing speakers built into the earpiece and a special nano coating that sends any waterproofing provides added protection against the rain and spills while only a mid-range smartphone the Moto Z to play comes with pretty decent specs headlined by a Snapdragon 66 processor our unit has 4 gigabytes of memory and 64 gigabytes of storage hello that may depend on where you are in the world by all accounts the phone performed great games played fine even on high settings and battery life was impressive giving us about one and a half days of heavy use without an additional battery pack a day battery mod and usage goes up to two full days and then the phone charges fast too using the bundled charger we got to 60% charge in 30 minutes perfect when you only have enough time for a quick top up our only complaint is as Ichi plays camera which produced only so-so results that's not to say the photos were not good with proper composition and a steady hand we were able to manage some nice ones in and around Bangkok both during the day and at night but for a phone in its price point you can get better take a look at this quick photo shoot out vs. be one plus five its selfie camera on the other hand is pretty good in our ultimate smartphone showdown last year's Moto Z actually won the group selfie category and the z-cube play continues this tradition with natural-looking selfies the software experience on the Z to play against a section all on its own it's got the best of both worlds and almost close to stock Android experience with a few worthy customization for example one button nav replaces on-screen home back and multitasking buttons with gesture based controls swipe left to go back sweat right for multitasking at once for home tap longer to turn off the display so is the Moto Z to play your gadget match overall for its price point the Moto Z to play is a great choice for those who want a thin customisable phone motorola sees mods as the feature and if you agree then this is the phone for you if you're looking for a phone with a battery that lasts all day and then some then this is the closest you can get to that dream and for this reason it deserves the gadget match seal of approval it has its weaknesses particularly its lackluster camera is amazing photos are important to you and locales where if you're in the u.s. Verizon is offering the Z to play for only four hundred US dollars with a bundled JBL sound boost until supplies last the unlocked version will eventually go on sale for $100 more and here's what the phone goes for across Asia and that was our moto Z to play Ruby for more videos like this one make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel like our Facebook page follow gadget match on social media and make gadget match calm your daily habit until the next one I'm Michael josh thanks for dropping by\n"